MYAA 2022 (Junior) Consolation
Bethany Xinyi Chew - Sri KDU International School, PJ
Title: Broken Love
It was just another mundane day in London. The sun was shining; the birds were chirping and I was still a refugee. The usual volunteers came into the refugee shelter today to cook and also bringing with them the basic necessities that most of us in the shelter lacked. I hated it when they came. That look of pity in their eyes. Flashbacks flicked through my head, temporarily luring me into a daze. I thought about the day the bomb and how it destroyed our home in Afghanistan. I thought about all the people who did not survive the journey nor made the journey.
"Lila?" The faint sounds calling me from a distance echoed in my ears. I snapped out of it immediately, my eyes focusing on the figure that sat by my side. Ella who was my best friend at the shelter often sat by my side reassuring me that I would find my family again. Just then the door opened. Iris, a frequent donator and occasional volunteer, strolled in. "Lila, a couple would like to meet you." My heart stopped.
Could it be?
I quickly but tentatively got up and followed Iris as we went through the maze of miniscule sets of slums, littered with malodorous rubbish and went to the front of the building. I felt my heart hammering against my underfed chest. What if it wasn’t them? The question lingered in my mind as we neared the rickety door. I hesitated before lifting my hand towards the door handle and taking three deep breaths. A chill vibrated down my spine as I touched the cold metal handle. The door winched open, groaning in protest.
Two soft smiling faces greeted me. Immediately I felt a warmth course through me, something I had not felt in a long time. Love. I took a step back surveying the faces that emitted a sense of home to me. And yet…they were not my parents. Instantaneously, I felt it all leave me, everything I had felt in these past few seconds, replaced by this hard, bitter coldness. I shrunk like a snail back into my vulnerable shell. The couple spoke softly in Pashto.
“Lila, we are friends of your parents. We’ve come to tell you that your parents are gone.”
It took me some time before I realised I was crying. Fat and salty tears trickled down my cheeks. I didn’t wait a moment longer before I scurried back into the web of slums, weeping harder. I couldn’t believe it. Dashing into my little hovel and slamming the door as the structure rattled in the force, I hid under my blanket and cried, my body shaking.
In that moment the door opened, creaking on its hinges as Ella entered, shrieking.
“Lila! Are you okay? I couldn’t find you so I figured that you’d be here.”
“I w-want to r-run away” I hiccupped between sobs.
“But you, you can’t! You can’t leave me here… we need you. Iris needs you, the shelter needs you!”
“I’m leaving. Tonight. Whether you like it or not.”
“Lila…”
“I’m sorry. I just can’t stand people that say my parents are dead. I’m sick of it!”
“Please…”
I paused for a moment, willing my brain to think and act rationally. But somewhere in there… I knew it was the right thing to do. I had to find the truth.
~
I had just finished packing the contents of supper into my battered bag that was filled with everything that I had and all my savings over the years. At midnight, I found myself standing at the doorway of the place I had called home for 3 years. It ached to know that I couldn’t turn back after this. But I wouldn’t. Not now. Not ever.
My parent’s friends had told me where they were staying. So, I just needed to find them to take me back home to Afghanistan. I set out on the journey, asking for directions here, hitchhiking there.
At dawn, I was standing in front of a red brick building, nervously pondering over how I would address them, when a man in a checkered shirt opened the door and muttered: “Hello, what are you…Come in, I think we need to have a talk.” My parent’s friend gestured for me to come in.
The moment I sat down, it all came out, like a river. I told them I needed to see my parents and if there were gone, I needed to know where they were buried. By the time I was done I was already in tears, looking pleadingly at the man. He shook his head. Desperately, I shoved all my money at him. He did not want it. That moment the door opened, and the wife walked in. I threw myself at her feet, begging. She pulled me up and told to go sit in the kitchen while she had a conversation with her husband. I do not know what happened but a few hours later, I was holding a plane ticket to Afganistan. I was going to make this trip with them. I cried in joy. I would finally know what happened to my parents.
~
Three days later, I was on my way to Afganistan. I was waiting in anticipation for the plane to land, so much that I had not realised that I my eyes were faltering. A couple of minutes later, I was fast asleep.
When I awoke, I was in a car, rumbling across the countryside in a slow pace. I looked out the foggy window and saw fields of withered crops burnt by the sun. The car went on and on, then slowly halting as we reached the village.
I stepped out of the car, carefully surveying my surroundings. Ruins enclosed around me. Broken slabs of concrete lay on the ground, houses had been torn down, everything was in state of disrepair.
The couple stared at each other for some time before gently taking my hand and leading me to the row of stones at the back. They sighed as they placed my hand on one of them. My body froze as I realised what they were.
Gravestones. Two big and one small.
I stumbled back; my mind felt faint as read the names inscribed on them.
Aya and Mila Abdul-Ghani. My parents.
I stifled a cry as the couple told me my parents’ story.
“It was a few weeks after you left Afghanistan when your mother found out that she was pregnant with your brother. They were about to board a ship for England when they decided that it was safer that they stay back to give birth then only to come for you. Sadly, your mother and baby brother did not make it through the childbirth. Shortly after, your father had passed on too because he contracted typhoid. Its not because they wouldn’t come for you, Lila, it is because they could not”.
For some reason Lila felt relieved. But she also felt free. Free, because she knew the truth. Free, because she knew that she was loved, and always would be.
- END-
(This story is unedited)
Comment from Judges
Excellent grammar and vocabulary. Plot line was very well done, and the emotions were portrayed very well through this story. Pacing was great, but the rising action was a bit too long. Ending was emotional and very well executed.
MYAA 2022 (Junior) Consolation
Thoon Jing Wen - SJK(C) Perempuan China
Title: Dyslexia
Xavier breathed deeply and walked into the unfamiliar classroom as Miss Anita called out his name. He stepped in front of the whiteboard, which was filled with crawling spiders of twisted words and sums. He looked away as his messy, curly brown hair fell onto his face, covering his gloomy grey eyes. He scowled at the students who were whispering among each other.
“Welcome to Winston High, Xavier! Can you tell us about yourself?” The teacher encouraged him. Xavier looked at the rest of the class, feeling everyone’s stares on him. He sighed uncomfortably and began his introduction.
“I’m Xavier,” he said. “I like to play video games. Hope we can be friends.”
The teacher smiled. “Okay, Xavier. You can sit in the third row, next to Ayaka.” Xavier sat uneasily beside the girl and unpacked his bag. Another girl whispered from the front row, “Be careful! She’s ‘silent but deadly!’” That was the last thing Xavier wanted to hear on his first day.
Soon, Ms Anita finished the lesson and assigned some homework. Xavier tried to hold back his frustration. The sums were crawling around the page again, swimming in front of his eyes. Ayaka’s eyes darted to his homework. She quickly looked away and scribbled on her page. Xavier tried to peek at her answers, but the neat words swam around like fish on the page as soon as it was written. Curse his dyslexia! He closed his workbook, leaving it blank, and walked away as the bell rang.
During recess, Xavier walked around searching for a table to sit at, but nobody offered him any seats. He sat down in a corner and began to eat his meal, all by himself. What a great way to start my first day, he thought.
The next few days weren’t any better. On Thursday, Theodore, the toughest-looking boy in his class, walked up to him. “Hey, dude,” said the boy in a rough voice. “Whatcha doing?”
“Uh, homework…” Xavier replied. Theodore glanced at his paper and snickered.
Xavier looked at his paper. He had drawn some question marks below the spiders when he was thinking about the answers.
“Seriously, dude?” the boy mocked, punching Xavier’s arm gently. “Those are sooo easy! Even my three-year-old sister can finish them in five minutes!”
Xavier grimaced. “Well, those words are spiders to me. I have a disorder. I can’t read or write properly, so I didn’t know what this question was asking.”
“OOoooo… so you’re S-P-E-C-I-A-L! Let me help you tell everyone how exceptional you are!” To Xavier’s horror, Theodore grabbed Xavier’s homework and raised it up for the class to see. The boy passed it to another student, who passed it to another, and the book was passed around in the classroom. Xavier screamed and ran around trying to catch his book, but the students were too fast. He tripped over and fell. When he got up, he saw his book fly out of the window. Plop! Xavier rushed to the window and he saw his book in a muddy puddle, completely ruined!
Tears welled up in Xavier’s eyes. Why does this always happen to me? Every school I’m transferred to, I’m always bullied! Suddenly, a small voice asked from beside, “Hi, are you okay?” Xavier looked up and saw Ayaka’s concerned face. This was the first time Ayaka spoke to him.
“Yeah, nothing new,” Xavier replied. “Whichever school I’m transferred to, it’s always like this. I’m dyslexic, I cannot read or write properly. Every sentence looks like a row of spiders to me.”
Ayaka nodded understandingly. “I have an older brother who is dyslexic, so my parents have done extensive research on ways to learn for people with dyslexia and he’s doing quite well in his studies now. Maybe you could come over to my house after school and we can see if my parents can give you some pointers.”
Later, Xavier went to Ayaka’s house and her family greeted him warmly. Ayaka took out some highlighters and sticky notes. “You can use these to colour-code your notes to make them easier to study,” she suggested. Ayaka’s parents also sat down with Xavier to plan his study schedule. Xavier even got to meet Ayaka’s brother! The moment they started speaking to each other, exchanging their experiences with dyslexia, this was the first time Xavier felt so at home. Ayaka’s brother was like a long-lost brother to him.
In the next few months, Ayaka and Xavier became best friends. Ayaka helped Xavier with his note-taking in class and they did their homework together daily. Ayaka’s brother tutored him when he was free and they all played happily together during the holidays. Xavier became better and better in his studies.
One Monday morning, a scream echoed throughout the school halls. Xavier was passing by the staircase then, and the scream seemed to be coming from the top of the stairs. He looked up and saw a younger boy falling down the stairs. Theodore was there as well, walking away in the opposite direction, laughing monstrously. Xavier rushed to help the boy. A stench smell filled the air, the boy had a long deep cut on his right thigh. Xavier quickly helped the boy to the nurse’s room, which thankfully was just around the corner. After making sure that the nurse was taking care of the boy, Xavier rushed to Ms Anita’s office to tell her what happened. She was shocked and promised she would investigate the matter.
When Xavier reached the classroom, he was almost late. Ayaka was already there. “Where were you? What happened? You’re never late!” she asked anxiously. Xavier recounted the incident. As he was explaining, in the corner of his eyes he saw Theodore glaring daggers at him, silently warning him to keep his mouth shut. Just then, the bell rang and Miss Anita walked into the classroom.
Moments later, Theodore was called to the principal’s office. As he walked out of the classroom, he gave Xavier a murderous look. Soon, the booming voice of the principal could be heard, followed by the pleading cries of a whimpering Theodore.
After school, Ayaka and Xavier were heading home when suddenly Theodore pounced on Xavier and gave him a big bruise. “Hah!” he said. “You thought you’d be able to get rid of me after sending me to the principal? Think again!” Theodore was about to hit Xavier again when Ayaka defended and returned the blow. Theodore was stunned. He tried to launch another blow but it was backfired. Ayaka glared at Theodore and warned him to stay away from Xavier.
From then on, Theodore stayed away and Xavier finally unravelled why Ayaka was ‘silent but deadly’. The two friends continued to support each other and their friendship blossomed. Ayaka, once a shy and quiet girl, has learnt the wonders of having friends. On the other hand, Xavier discovered that although having dyslexia was a challenge, he shouldn’t give up, rather, he should embrace it bravely. Moreover, he had great friends to hold his hand throughout his journey. Ayaka’s brother became his pillar of support and they even formed a support group to help others with the same disorder.
- END-
(This story is unedited)
Comment from Judges
An interesting and intimate theme which the writer explored. The character development is enjoyable to follow through.
MYAA 2022 (Junior) Consolation
Cheryllea Wong Suet Lea - Sri Sempurna International School
Title: The Night of the Nocturne
Chapter 1
It was raining. Really hard.
“Did we really have to walk home?” Amber whined, waving her talons in the cool air and storming around, grumbling, “we could have flown or something!” Shelly nudged Amber’s shoulder playfully, laughing and spreading her wings. “It’s not too bad!” she said, twirling around. Goldscale wearily lifted her snout to the sky, sniffing the wet air. “That’s because you’re a water dragon,” Amber argued, curving her wings inward over her head like a cover for rain, “I’m just a useless Crystilsces.” Goldscale suddenly froze, twitching her tail in a small arc at Amber and Shelly- the sign to drop to the ground. Goldscale’s white and gold scales slowly melted into the landscape, though in reality she was still there- still as a wolf ready to hunt prey.
Amber and Shelly dropped to the ground, crawling over to a small mud pile nearby and burrowing in, their blue and green scales hidden by the mud. Sounds of talons- many talons- sounded throughout the forest, reaching their ears and making their scales shiver. Amber tucked her wings in and curled her tail around Shelly, shivering with fear. Two Stormeias walked out of the trees, each of them dripping with mud and gore. They appeared to have just come from a battle, cuts and scratches ringing out from their heads to their tails.
“Do we seriously have to patrol this forest again?” one of them was saying, hissing, “you have heard about the monster in the forest, haven’t you?!” The larger Stormeias stamped his feet and lashed his tail, growling at the other, “Shut up. You don’t know this forest like I do. So listen carefully, and don’t do anything else. Besides, how can those rival dragons hide in this place if they… have a monster living here? See?” The smaller storm dragon spat at the ground, pausing for a moment. “Fine. But when we return, I’m complaining to King Tempest.”
They both spread their wings and leaped into the air, their enormous wings fighting against the strong winds and rain beating at them. Goldscale reappeared in front of Amber, her shimmering scales slowly switching back from their surroundings’ colours to gold and white. She looked exactly like the queen she should have been, regal with a powerful aura. But she wasn’t going to be queen anymore, and isn’t. Amber swatted her away with her wings, scampering to her talons. “Now, listen here,” Goldscale snarled at Amber, “we are going to fulfill this prophecy, with or without you.” Amber stalked away from her, crouching underneath a huge tree with long, stretching branches protecting her from the rain. She looked up at the twin-moons, eyes shining. “I’ll be coming back soon. I’ll be coming back. Just you see..”
Chapter 2
“No! Help!!”
Amber ran into the village, her wings spreading and flapping quickly, her eyes darting from house to house in search of survivors.
“The Nocturne is here! Save us!!”
Amber’s eyes welled with tears, but she ran onwards towards the last row of houses. Suddenly, a huge, bluish-black dragon leaped out from behind a fence, tail lashing. “Stop, now, little Crystilsces,” he snarled, “or I'll be forced to kill you.” Amber screeched, throwing up her wings to stop herself from crashing into the dragon. “Move! Move, quick! There are-” Amber trailed off, realisation dawning on her. “You- you-” “Yes, I am a Nocturne.” The black dragon finished, hissing. The Nocturne.. Nocturnes were dragons of legend that only appeared when both the moons in the sky fully aligned with each other, eventually seeming as if both moons were one. Amber snarled, crouching low and lighting up the patterns along her wings. “You destroyed my village. You are now here to kill me. How about I show you.. My true form?”
Amber leaped into the air, rising up as fast as she could. When she was about the height of the Great Bell Tower, she tucked her wings close to her sides and spun downwards, swishing her tail from side-to-side. At the last second, she flung her wings in front of her and kicked her legs forward, smashing her wings into the ground.
A bright flash filled the area as she transformed, scales switching from a dull bluish-purple and black to a blinding neon blue with grey, overlapping scales. The Nocturne cried, “An Iceadsij.. RETREAT!” Goldscale suddenly dived out from nowhere, crashing onto the Nocturne, teeth bared. Her talons dug into the Nocturne’s scales, holding him down. Amber stepped next to her, breathing in deeply. “Goodbye, Nocturne.” Amber released a breath of cold ice, slowing the blast down so that Goldscale could leap away before it hit the stunned Nocturne. He roared, batting at his eyes which had been directly hit by the cold blast. His body completely froze over, crashing to the ground in a dramatic pose. Goldscale lifted her talons which were cold and blue, staring at them with a blank glare.
Suddenly, two huge Nocturnes jumped out from the darkness, landing on Amber and Goldscale. “Shelly-” Goldscale started, but the Nocturne pinning her down stuffed a fruit in her mouth. Amber made her ‘seriously?’ look, stabbing her tail into the Nocturne pinning Goldscale down. “Run, warn everyone!” Amber roared, submitting to the Nocturne holding her down. She had a plan.. A good one, and it didn’t involve Goldscale or Shelly…
Chapter 3
The Nocturnes brought her to a huge stronghold, hidden in the deep forests. One of the Nocturnes escorting her stalked off at the front gate, while the other pushed her in, stepping in behind her. There were many rooms and caves, each with a label above the entrance. She saw caves with many labels: ‘Kitchen, Guest Room, Royal Quarters, War Tools, Interrogation Room.’ The Nocturne steered her towards the Interrogation Room, muttering something to himself. “Go on in, we need answers,” he said kindly, pushing her gently towards the cave. She stepped into it, immediately swinging her head around to look for possible threats. She startled a small, wiry black dragon, who threw up his wings defensively. He shrieked, “Intruder! Intru-” Amber roared and thwacked him on his head with her wings as hard as she could, then retreated to a dark corner.
Three nocturne entered the room, their eyes as black as the darkest abyss. The smallest one glanced around the room, then lashed his tail. He hissed at the largest nocturne, which turned out to be the nocturne that had led Amber there. “Where is the Iceadsij?” the small nocturne roared, “we need its powers to save our village!”
Amber crept out of her hiding spot, crawling out of the door. Once her tail had come out, she leapt up, spreading her wings as she sped towards the exit. Once outside, she leapt into the air, flapping her wings as fast she could. “Freeeeeeedom!” Amber exclaimed, changing course to the direction of her village. She caught glimpses of birds and rabbits hopping in a meadow below, but this was no time to stop for a snack. She had to get back and save her village! Unless it had already been destroyed, that is.
As she landed in a small circle of trees, she jerked her head around a few times, and when she had finally finished scouting, she darted into the village. There were no dragons in sight, let alone a Nocturne. Amber called out, “Hello? Is anyone there?!” There was no reply, only the sound of an echo. But not her echo. ‘Someone is here…’ she thought, curling her tail around her talons. Amber crouched, lifting her tail into the air in the position of a scorpion’s. A huge, unidentifiable shape stalked out from behind a house, looking around. Amber immediately swung her tail in a few arcs, firing small ice shards, right at the figure. It yelped, falling to the ground. She leapt out of her hiding place, landing on the unidentified dragon..
Chapter 4
“Sapphire!?”
The dragon was not a Nocturne, and definitely not Goldscale. It was Sapphire, Amber’s childhood friend! “What are you doing here?” Amber exclaimed, smiling, “it isn’t safe! Where is everyone else?” Sapphire stood up, hugging Amber with her wings. “They’re all safe,” she replied, calmly, “don’t worry. Even mother is alright, and your other friends.” “I have to go,” Amber said, firmly.
She waved her talons, looking to the twin moons. “Mother, what do I do now? the village you created for me is destroyed, and those Nocturne have been attacking and attacking repeatedly!” She dug her talons into the ground, spreading her wings. “I think it’s time for me to return..” She leapt into the air, her diamond-like glistening wings beating the air until the closest moon was at its biggest. “Let me in, mother!” she roared, “let me in!!!” The moon’s shape stretched, opening up until there was a huge fissure in its surface. Amber’s scales started to glow, and she was sucked into the enormous, round shape of the moon, gone to plan for what to come…
--- END ---
(This story is unedited)
Comment from Judges
The first thing that stood out to me in this story was how the world-building in is subtle yet effective, which is highly impressive considering the word limit. The fantastical characteristics of the characters as dragons were established almost immediately, allowing the plot to take off quickly and take a more suspenseful turn with the introduction of the Nocturne. The way action and combat scenes are depicted with language is highly skillful and does a great job at keeping the reader engaged. I would’ve liked to see how things unfold further between Amber and Sapphire towards the end to finish off the great action-filled plot.
MYAA 2022 (Junior) Consolation
Tai Hui Wei - Sekolah Sri Tenby
Title: Mushroom Stew
Chapter 1
Lost in a Forest
Moosh was a sly squirrel. He had a housemate named Fern, an albino rabbit. Fern didn’t like Moosh though; he had no job, meaning he never paid his half of the rent!
“You should really find yourself a job, Moosh,” Fern chided. He was tending to the plants in their front yard.
Moosh rolled his eyes. “I’m trying,” he said, sounding exasperated. “No one accepted my application for an interview! I’ve applied for almost every job in the town…”
Fern shook his head. “Remember what I told you?” he asked. “Maybe it’s not you are being the employee, but the manager.”
Moosh sighed, his hazelnut tail swishing behind him. He muttered a fine as he went on all fours and scurried away, most likely off to find acorn nuts in the forests, despite Fern’s warnings not to.
“I don’t even know what job I want,” Moosh said aloud to himself. He arrived in a lush green forest, sun rays bursting through the canopies of the oak trees.
The forest was often the place he went to when he got overwhelmed, or when he wanted alone time. Moosh kicked a pebble and watch it skid across the grass and splash into the lake, causing ripples.
I suppose I’ll stay here for a while, Moosh decided, sitting down beneath a large oak tree, which was in the heart of the forest. The squirrel felt his eyes droop and he had the sudden urge to sleep—so he did.
Hours later, the sun began to descend, the sky darkening by the second.
Moosh opened his eyes and was surprised to find out that his nap had taken longer than usual. Fern is going to be livid, he thought.
Sighing, the squirrel dragged himself off the ground, but without the guidance of the sun, he was hopelessly lost. Not to mention that he was starving too. None of the foliage in the forest indicated food, and Moosh didn’t find any acorn nuts.
“Oh, birds, what have I gotten myself into?” Moosh sighed. “Those hungry bears will probably come and devour me any second now!”
As Moosh rambled on and on, he accidentally tripped over a stone and fell flat on his face. He scrambled onto his paws and swore—until he noticed there was something peculiar by the stone.
There was a cluster of mushrooms.
Mushrooms were rare to find in the forest, and Moosh wasn’t sure if these ones were poisonous or not, but dying of poison would be less painful than being pierced by the jaws of a vicious bear, right?
Moosh grabbed a handful. I can try to make a fireplace to cook these, and then I’ll be full and warm!
The squirrel grinned at that thought, cradling the mushrooms close to his chest, as if it were his offspring. He gathered twigs and swiftly rubbed them together, beaming as he ignited a spark.
Soon, he was cooking mushrooms over the fire, humming to himself. As Moosh was waiting for the mushrooms to cook, an idea popped up in his head.
What if I make mushroom stew and sell it to the town folks?, Moosh wondered. I doubt they have tried mushrooms before… I’ll make a brilliant recipe that no one will be able to resist!
A thought slid into his mind. What if he asked Fern, his dearest housemate, to help him? The rabbit would certainly be proud of him. But the squirrel wasn’t sure Fern would quit the job for him.
Nonetheless…
Moosh grabbed the mushrooms before they turned to charcoal and ate. Chewy—and he didn’t feel like poison was coursing through his veins, poisoning every system, so that was good.
The squirrel put out the fire and climbed onto a branch of a tree to sleep. In truth, he didn’t really sleep—not after that long nap. He gazed at the gallery of stars that strangely resembled diamonds, glittering in the dark night sky…
The forest could be creepy at night, but it could also be beautiful.
Chapter 2
Return
Moosh rubbed his eyes as the sun rose. He had slept for an hour or two at night, but his body was fizzing with energy that he intended to get rid of.
The squirrel descended down the tree, making a torch to scare away the bears, wondering why he hadn’t thought of it before.
With the sun up, Moosh felt safe. He knew the way back home—at least, he assumed he did. His surroundings felt unfamiliar, but if he could just retrace his steps…
Moosh grinned as he noticed his trail of footprints (pawprints?). He went on all fours, following his trails.
Along the way, he saw more clusters of mushrooms. They were the same kind he had eaten yesterday—so not poisonous. He grabbed as much as he could with one hand and continued on.
The squirrel almost whooped in joy as he came across a clearing. His house had never felt fully like home, but now having experienced being unable to return to it, he decided it was home.
Moosh put out the torch and all but ran inside his house. His roommate, Fern, was probably still sleeping.
I’ll cook breakfast with these mushrooms then!, Moosh decided. He gathered the ingredients needed, his hands moving so quickly that it was a blur of motions.
In the end, the hard work paid off, and the squirrel had to admit, his stomach was growling.
Mushroom stew wasn’t that tasty, but he was sure that Fern would like it, and the animals too… That is, if he started a business.
Moosh was still grinning like a maniac when he almost leapt six feet into the air at the sound of Fern’s voice.
“When did you come home?” Fern asked, crossing his arms. “You were missing for a whole day—”
“You scared the living birds out of me,” Moosh muttered, absentmindedly wiping his paws. “I got lost in the forest—yeah, the one I always go to.”
“How did you even—”
Moosh shrugged. “Took a nap and the next thing I knew, it was nighttime. But besides that, come try my stew! I found some mushrooms in the forest and decided to make this!”
Fern hesitated but agreed despite how sudden it all was.
“This is pretty good,” Fern admitted, after trying a spoonful. “But why..?”
“Well, I was wondering if you wanted to help me start a business… for that stew, and maybe some other side dishes,” Moosh said.
Fern looked deep in thought. “It’s not a bad idea,” he finally said. “We could earn a few bucks here and there.”
So, the rabbit and the squirrel began doing preparations, investing their money—mostly Fern’s—into the business. At first, it started off slow, one or two customers every few hours, but it slowly started increasing, to the point where dozens of customers came piling in, eager to try their food.
Basically, Moosh finally paid his half of the rent.
--- END ---
(This story is unedited)
Comment from Judges
Amazing use of vocabulary, such a unique storyline that addresses how hard-work can provide great outcomes. Every sentence and idea was written in an original matter and I also cackled at the last line!
MYAA 2022 (Junior) Consolation
Alayna Adeen Zulkifli - Asia Pacific Smart School
Title: Mackerel Fish Snacks
Sushi yawned widely until she felt like her jaw was going to break off. It was already 11:13 AM! The jet-black coloured cat lept off her owner’s bed, which had still not been tidied yet and had a few puddles of dribble along the pillow. Time to go greet, Luna, my one and only owner! I wonder if she’s in a good mood today. But what if she’s angry about yesterday when I spilled mango juice over her favourite pyjamas?! Sushi’s mind was buzzing with “What if’s” like a colony of wild honeybees.
As Sushi entered her owner’s study, she saw Luna rapidly typing on her computer with an extremely worried face. Hmm… She looks stressed. Maybe I could do that trick Mr. Loki taught me last week! As she recited the steps in her head, she gracefully lept onto Luna’s lap and rubbed her head against her. She silently waited for response and looked up to her owner with her innocent pumpkin-like eyes. The response she received was not at all what she hoped for. Luna stared down with cold, foul-looking eyes and glared. Sushi got goosebumps as she wondered what this might mean. Is she angry at me?! It must’ve been the mango juice last night! Wait… I remember Mr. Loki telling me that owners sometimes get mad because they think their pets are weak! That must be it. If I prove myself to her, then maybe she’ll accept me, I bet. And with that, Sushi decided to go on an adventure to locate her “inner strength”.
“Why me though?!” Gizmo complained. Gizmo was Sushi’s first friend and were next-door neighbours. Because of Gizmo’s shy personality, he never had the courage to make friends with other cats except Sushi and another cat named Jinx. He had just refused to go along with Sushi on her absurd adventure idea. She pleaded. And after almost an hour of arguing, Gizmo agreed once Sushi bribed him with a month-worth supply of his favoured mackerel snacks.
“So, is it just going to be me accompanying you?” Gizmo questioned. Sushi snorted as if she were a pig.
“What?! If it was just, you and me, we would die before we even got across the road! Of course, I must bring Jinx!” Gizmo remembered all the times that Jinx had almost killed him until he felt like he was about to faint. And before he knew it, he did.
The two-some were dashing across the streets before they decided to invite themselves into Jinx’s home.
“Hey, guys! What ’cha doing here?” Jinx made Sushi and Gizmo’s souls leap out of their bodies as they attempted to invade her abode through the window.
Sushi went straight to the point by asking, “Would you like to go on an adventure with us?” Gizmo was violently nodding his head at Jinx while he wondered what would happen without her flawless fighting skills.
“Sure. Why not? You guys would totally die out there if you went without me anyways,” Jinx sniggered. “Also, it would be good for Gizmo to finally gain some confidence.”
Sushi exclaimed, “Right! This morning, once I told him that you were joining in on the journey, he… FAINTED!”
The black and the tan felines burst out laughing whilst Gizmo suddenly felt hot and stammered, “S- stop! I didn’t even- can we j- just go now!?” But the two cats started rolling about on the floor, reminding Gizmo of all the embarrassing moments he had had his episodes.
They strolled side-by-side until they reached a back alley that smelled like a graveyard over-filling with rotting corpses. They all tried to ignore the vile odour.
“W- what is that thing?” Gizmo mumbled, pointing his peachy nose towards a creature. It had four legs and a bulky structure, but the beast was barely standing up.
“Hm? Ooh, that’s a Pit Bull dog!” Jinx exclaimed. She then inspected the worn-out collar on his neck. “His name’s Dozer. From the looks of it, he was probably tortured then abandoned by his owner. But I could easily put him out of his misery…” The Bobcat unsheathed her jagged claws in the evening daylight. Just as Jinx was about to deeply scratch his already bloody neck, Sushi noticed the Pit Bull whimpering.
“Wait, Jinx… Shouldn’t we help him? I mean, it doesn’t look like he’s doing so well.” Sushi suggested. Gizmo nodded his head.
Jinx halted to a stop, squinted at her friends and whispered, “Are you sure? He’s dangerous and we might not make it to the vets in time...”
Sushi glanced at the dog who slumped to the ground with a thud then hesitantly replied, “Yes, I’m sure.”
The three of them carried Dozer (who was flailing his legs everywhere) with all their strength before they reached a clinic. Soon after they entered, a veterinarian noticed the strange cats and the injured Pit Bull then rushed to get help. After a confusing time of veterinarian trying to understand what happened, they finally decided to help them rescue the dog.
“Oh God, my back!” Gizmo chuckled dryly. “I think I broke it.”
“You’re exaggerating, Gizmo. Of course, you haven’t,” Sushi groaned. “But that sure was painful!”
“Now I feel like both of you are exaggerating. That was great exercising! My spine feels so good!” Jinx purred. But Gizmo and Sushi shook their heads.
“I guess we should wait for Dozer, then.” Sushi mentioned. Gizmo agreed but Jinx stayed silent.
After an hour of getting stroked by random strangers, the felines welcomed the dog after he had come out with a vet by his side and bandages wrapping almost every part of his body. “Umm, well. I hope you understand this, but the Pit Bull will have to stay at the clinic for now. H- he’s not in a condition to walk around. He needs rest.” one of the vets announced to the cats. He awkwardly walked away with Dozer next to him.
“We should probably get back home. I can’t believe it’s night-time already!” Gizmo exclaimed whilst staring outside into the inky night sky.
“But what about Sushi’s mission?” Jinx said, yawning. “Isn’t that what we came here for?”
Sushi blankly responded, “Oh, that. It’s fine, it doesn’t really matter. We could just try to do the mission tomorrow anyways!” Gizmo and Jinx blinked then replied with an “Okay, then.” but secretly, Sushi was slightly disappointed in the mission and herself.
Just as the cats arrived at Jinx’s house, Gizmo and Sushi waved goodbye. Afterwards, they approached Gizmo’s house.
“Hey, Sushi! Thanks for today, I really enjoyed it! And to be honest, thanks to you, I feel a little braver now!” Gizmo shouted from the front door of his house. Sushi grinned then and yelled goodbye. Maybe this journey wasn’t worthless after all.
Instantly after she came up to her house, Sushi was briskly picked up and hugged by a pair of familiar hands. “SUSHI! There you are! I’ve been looking for you everywhere! The house felt so empty without you! Oh, I missed you.” Luna cried out, relieved. Sushi felt happier than she had ever felt beside her owner and cuddled into Luna’s arms
--- END ---
(This story is unedited)
Comment from Judges
Adorable story! Main character doesn’t go through major development. Love the setting and wholesomeness.
MYAA 2022 (Junior) Consolation
Rittesh A/L Jaya Balan - SJK(T) Melaka (Kubu)
Title: The Land Of Medieval
PROLOUGE
THE QUEENS ABDUCTION
The castle of King Edward was a majestic sight. If a castle could smile, this one would be grinning from ear to ear. Queen Aurora suddenly awoke in the middle of the night after hearing a mysterious noise.‟What was that?” she said. The noise came from the bathroom. Out of curiosity, she decided to investigate the strange disturbance.
At first glance, there was nothing out of the ordinary. She thought she was just hallucinating and decided to go back to sleep. Right as she was about to exit the room a man jumped out of nowhere and put a piece of cloth over her mouth. The queen struggled to get free and quickly fainted from the lack of oxygen. She was kidnapped!
Queen Aurora woke up to find out that she was in tight constrains on the back of a cart. She let out a long overdue scream that alerted her kidnappers that she was awake. ‟Hello, your Majesty,” said a booming voice. The queen saw a tall man approaching her. Although she had never seen him in her life before, he seemed oddly familiar.‟Nice to see you awake,” he said with a devilish smile. ‟Who are you and what do you want from me?” the scared queen asked.
‟Oh, so Edward hasn’t told you about me yet,” he said. He then revealed himself. Once Queen Aurora saw him, she knew who he was. ‟You!” she said. You’re the one Edward fought off with his soldiers and claimed this land, General Macron. ‟The very one,” he said. Good to hear you remember me.
‟Where are you taking me?” she asked. ‟Nowhere special, just my fortress,” he said as a menacing smile grew on his face. A massive structure came into view. It was nearly as big as King Edward’s castle. If a fortress could smile, this one would be smiling menacingly. Queen Aurora hoped that someone would save her and save her soon. Little did she know, help was on the way, just not as she expected.
CHAPTER ONE
THE HATCH
After a long day of school, James and Britney (two 11 year olds) were on their way home. They were twins and looked exactly the same. Both had strawberry blond hair and freckled skin. They lived in a quaint home in the middle of a quaint neighbourhood, Syacmore Drive. It was a breath-taking place with a mini golf park. The twins went to the park which is their usual resting spot to take a breath.
They sat on a bench and took in the view. Then, they started a conversation. ‟I just can’t wait for our birthday,” James said happily. It’s only two weeks away! ‟Yeah, I’m excited too,” Britney said. They rested for a while and then decided to continue going back. ‟We should get going,” Britney said. ‟Yeah, we should,” James agreed. They did some stretches and started heading home. ‟Hey Britney,” James said while on the walk. ‟Yes?” she replied. What do you think is going to be our- aahh! James slipped on something and hit the ground hard.‟ James! Are you ok?” Britney asked.
‟Yeah I’m fine, but look,” James said and pointed at a bump on the ground. They dug it up and saw that it was made out of metal. Together, they pried it open and found out that it led underground. ‟Should we check it out?” James asked. ‟Should we?!” What’s wrong with-James!” Before she could finish her sentence, James had already started climbing down the ladder.
Britney rolled her eyes and followed her brother. She made sure she closed the hatch behind her so no one would see and open the hatch sticking out of the ground. Once they reached the bottom, they were awestruck. The room was filled with many colourful liquids in glass jars. Each jar had a label on it so they could tell what the liquids were used for. Britney found a jar with pink liquid inside it that was particularly shimmering. It was labelled ‟ Glitter Potion”.
She poured one drop of the strange liquid on her shoe and it was magically covered in glitters. ‟OH MY GOD, SO CUTE!” Britney squeaked and poured another drop of the potion on her other shoe and it was also magically covered in glitter. ‟Britney!” James said. Stop playing around with those liquids!” James said. He went to the back of the room and found something that worried him. ‟Take a look at this,” James said to Britney.
Britney came to his side and looked at what he was talking about. On the floor, in front of them was an open book. There were blood stains on the ground and a jar filled with dark blue liquid.
Britney put her hands over her mouth trying her best not to scream at the horrifying sight. James picked up the glass jar and turned it over. He saw that it was labelled ‟Portal Potion”. There was also a warning sign on the jar. It read:
To whoever is reading this, use this potion to activate any book and turn it into a portal into another dimension.
It is only for emergency use only.
Here are the steps you need to use it :
First of all, make sure to use this potion very carefully. It is limited and once it runs out, it runs out forever. Make sure not to waste a single drop.
1. Carefully pour three drops of it on any book.
2. Then it will start to glow and shimmer. It will pull you in and you will disappear into whatever the story describes.
That is everything. So be careful.
‟Wow,” James said. I can’t believe whoever wrote that put that much effort to make something up. For fun, James decided to do as the warning sign said. ‟James, be careful about what you’re doing,” Britney warned.
‟Relax,” James said. It’s not like it’s actually going to- what in the world,” Before he could finish his sentence the book began to glow and shimmer. It was almost as bright as the sun. The twins had to squint to even look at it. ‟What’s happening?!” Britney screamed. ‟I have no idea!” James screamed back. Suddenly, two glowing hands pulled them into the book.
The twins disappeared from the room and went into the book. What was awaiting them on the other side was a mystery. But one thing’s for sure, they were going to embark on the greatest adventure of their lives.
TO BE CONTINUED
--- END ---
(This story is unedited)
Comment from Judges
I really want to give a chance for this story to finish! From the start, this story caught my attention with the imagery used and suspense. The plot line also isn’t that cliché. Something new for me to read!
MYAA 2022 (Junior) Consolation
Alyssa Tan Yi Wen - Sekolah Sri KDU
Title: An Antagonist's View (A Guide Of Murder)
_Prologue_
Hailey hummed and swayed her body to the music as she mopped the floor. She didn't know which she liked more, the music or the satisfaction of removing blood from the tiles of her apartment floors.
_Chapter 1_
A sudden gust of wind blew into the cantina. The glasses rattled on the shelves. The streets of Hillford Village were deserted, quiet and dark. The dimly lit-up sign from the bar was the only source of light available. The villagers of Hillford village were sleeping peacefully when there was a sudden bloodcurdling scream.
_Chapter 2_
"BREAKING NEWS! THE WIDOW MAKER HAS STRUCK AGAIN!" Mr Gregory, the village chief, sighed in frustration as he read the headlines of the newspaper.
"This is the 6th time this month! And you're telling me you still haven't captured the culprit?!"
"I..I.."
"What did I hire you for? For you to slack off?!"
"No, sir.."
"Then?! Do your job properly!"
"I'm sorry sir."
Mr Gregory yelled at them to step up their efforts and then, dismissed them in anger. He sat on his chair and thought about how weird it was that the killer only murdered men. Married men, to be specific. He sighed. He needed the police to quickly solve the cases and arrest the murderer to restore peace in Hillford Village.
_Chapter 3_:
"Good morning Mr Baker!"
"Morning Hailey, what would you like today?"
"A loaf of sourdough bread, please."
"Alright, you got it." Mr Baker winked at Hailey as she smiled politely.
"There you go, sweetie."
"Thank you! Have a good day, Mr Baker!", Hailey thanked Mr Baker as she handed him some money and left the store. Mr Baker smiled. Hailey was a kindergarten teacher known to be sweet, caring, intellectual, friendly and polite to everyone she talked to. Not to mention, the kindergarteners loved her.
_Chapter 4_
As Hailey unlocked the door, she quickly took off her shoes and placed them in the shoe rack outside her house. Then, she made her way into the house. As she shut the door, she smiled. She successfully pulled off yet another murder. This time it was Mr Jones. She placed the photos of his dead body inside a small box she kept in her room which was full of pictures of her victims' bodies. The photos were like trophies for her. She smiled. "The 6th murder and nobody has caught me. Mr Gregory is so foolish to think that the police can ever catch me. Now, I can finally avenge my father and my mother." She laughed wickedly, as she closed the lid of the box and quickly kept it away.
_Chapter 5_
The next victim she decided to choose was Mr Baker, the baker of the famous "Maisones de Paines", her favourite bakery in town. Her plan was simple. All she needed to do was lure him and manipulate him, and then kill him. But she had to make it seem as if the murder was a natural cause, an accident. But how?
_Chapter 6_
The next afternoon, Hailey had to go to the kindergarten for a parents and teachers conference, so she hired a maid to clean the house while she was away. Anna, the maid she had hired, dusted the tables and swept the floors. Suddenly, Anna heard a loud thud. She quickly went to find out the source of the sound. It came from Hailey's room. Although Hailey had warned Anna not to enter her bedroom, she had forgotten about it in her haste to find the source of the loud thud. She twisted the doorknob, and the door creaked open.
_Chapter 7_
Anna looked around the room and found a box had dropped on the floor. As Anna picked up the box, she could not resist the curiosity to look into its content. What she saw sent shivers down her spine. It was pictures of Mr Jones' dead body. She gasped. In shock, she immediately called the authorities and told them what she had seen. She even went to the police station and showed the pictures for evidence.
_Chapter 8_
As Hailey pulled up to the driveway, she was surprised to find a fleet of police cars outside her house. Stepping out of her car, she was suddenly surrounded by police officers, pointing their guns at her. "Hands in the air! You're under arrest for the murder of Mr Jones and several others." Hailey raised her hands in the air as instructed, and felt the cold, icy handcuffs on her wrists. She was taken to the police station to assist with the police investigation.
_Chapter 9_
After 40 hours of house search and questioning, the police had gathered substantial evidence to establish that Hailey was indeed the perpetrator, responsible for the recent spate of heinous murders in Hillford Village over the past months. Hailey’s motive was revenge. It turned out that she wanted to avenge her father that had been abducted by Mr George when she was 6 years old. Her mother then committed suicide shortly after, leaving Hailey in an orphanage. Hailey wanted to do that by causing stress and havoc in the peaceful village.
_Chapter 10_
The news sent shockwaves throughout the once peaceful Hillford Villages and neighbouring villages. The Villagers were all shocked and could not believe a kind, caring person like Hailey committed such a heinous act. Hailey was subsequently sentenced to the death penalty after a lengthy court trial. To the disbelief of all those present at the court, Hailey did not shed a tear upon hearing her sentence. She simply muttered silently … “This is not over yet” as the judge banged his gavel.
--- END ---
(This story is unedited)
Comment from Judges
Loved every second of it. Stands out among other thrillers I’ve read because of the unique perspective and way of telling. Great use of language to indicate the main character’s personality.
MYAA 2022 (Junior) - Consolation
Auni Inarah Binti Mohd Fariz - SK Taman Tun Dr Ismail 2
Title: Deadly Whispers
Chapter 1: I want you here with me
Stop the trees from growing if nobody’s gonna water them;
Break the love if you can’t afford to alter them.
A story of acceptance,
But are we ever accepting?
I sighed as I comprehended those haunting words. Silent. Wistful. Under the midnight stars, on my balcony. I’m reading to the shadows that would listen and thinking of my angelic Atlas. He was one of a kind. He would sing to me; to the stars, with his raggedy shoes and sparkling smile. I gasped as I remembered that I was supposed to write to him today. Grabbing my pen and paper, I rushed to our spot.
Sitting alone on the canoe Atlas named ‘DNA’, in the middle of Lake Thora, I write a letter to my beloved.
‘Dear Atlas, my peaceful angel. Oh how I miss your twisted heart-’
Stumped. I hear footsteps heading to our lake. I quickly pack up my things and paddle back to the dock Atlas had built. Hiding in the rosemary bushes, I wait to see who’s here. A group of teenagers appear from the other side of the lake. They’re very loud, I despise it. They’re trashing Atlas’s spot. Our spot. Who found out about this place? Who told them where it was? Why are they here? Why? Why? WHY?
“Desiree, Desiree, Desiree my love.”
The whispers from Atlas still linger on my mind. I run, and run, and run out the forest and through empty alleys, under shady lamp posts, through my neighbourhood, through my doorway, up the stairs and into my room. Screaming and crying of rage, my limbs flailing around.
Numb. That’s all I feel after my tantrum. I force myself off the bed and take out the pen and paper from my bag. I sit on the icy floor and continue writing my letter to Atlas.
Chapter 2: Picture perfect, my darling
I wake up to my sluggish face in the mirror, the letter to Atlas spread out on the floor. Memories of the night before running vividly in my mind. It is 5:00 am and I could always count on Iceland’s early birds to cause a ruckus. I get on my feet and clean up the letter, sealing it in a baby blue envelope. I change into some presentable clothes and clean my tear-stained face.
I walk out my front door, clutching the letter close to my chest while waiting for the mailman to arrive. Joe, my next-door neighbour, is in his garden watering his plants. Our eyes meet and he flashes me a darling smile. I wave at him and greet “How’s your morning Joe?”. “It would've been awesome if Ms. Margerie and bloody Samuel from across the road didn’t yell profanities at each other at 4:30 in the morning,” he replies with an exxagerated exhausted look on his face. I chuckle, Joe is always so dramatic. If only he knew about Atlas.
We kept conversing until the mailman arrived at 6:00 am. I hand the mailman the letter and he gives me an insincere smile, however he still took the letter and went on his way. I bid goodbye to Joe and walked to my usual breakfast place, scooping up some flowers at my good friend Seth's flower shop along the way.
I walk into Sara’s cafe and hand her the flowers as she greets me at the entrance. “DESIREE! How’s your morning, my child?” I replied, “Lazy. It has been a VERY exhausting morning.” She nods and cracks a smile because this is my usual answer. I guess she has made it an obligation to take care of me even though we only see eachother EVERY morning. Though, I still love her. She's an amazing woman.
I ordered the usual, french toast and tea. I selected a book titled ‘Dreams of you’ from the cafe library for me to read while enjoying my breakfast. After breakfast, I went back home but not without some fresh daisies from Seth to fill up the empty vase on my kitchen table.
The day went by, as soon as I realised it, it’s already midnight as I looked out my bedroom window. Green Day is blasting through my speakers as I hum to the rhythm. I catch a glimpse of Atlas screaming at the top of his lungs to our favourite songs. I lay on my bed, my eyes drooping as my brain goes empty. Only the moonlight lights up my room and I lose ground of who I am.
Chapter 3: My final chapter without you
Dark. Cold. I’m barefoot and dirty standing on the grounds of Lake Thora. I look down and there’s a crimson coloured liquid substance everywhere. Blood. I squint my eyes at the lake and there are 5 bodies floating above water. I can’t remember anything. What happened? I was asleep in my room and now I’m at Lake Thora shivering and confused. The stench of human blood cursing my existence.
I’m breathing heavily as tears threaten to spill out. I feel so disgusted as I am gathering my thoughts. How did this even come to be? Did I murder them? I’ve had episodes like this where I’m on auto-pilot and when I snap back to reality, I’m somewhere I don’t remember going to. Terrified. This is WAY different.
Before I knew it, I’m already running to Joe’s because his house is the closest for me to get help from. I stop in my tracks in Tewksbury Lane, a few blocks away from his house, when I see an oh-so-familiar silhouette of a man walking unbalanced. “Joe,” I breathed out, I’m relieved I’ve found him. “Desiree, I’m-” he’s cut off as he comes into light. I notice that he’s holding a gun as he inches closer to me.
BANG!
I fall to the ground, hands clutching my chest, Joe still in sight. “I saw what you did to those teenagers at the lake,” Joe says, catching his breath. I guess, I did murder them then. I’m getting weaker as he spoke again. “I had to do it. I know what you are, Desiree. A monster.” He falls silent as we hear footsteps heading our way. He runs into the shadows, leaving me to die.
Chapter 4: Loving you is deadly, I’m home
“DESIREE! DESIREE, I'M RIGHT HERE!” Seth runs up to me, kneeling beside my body. ‘Please don’t leave, I promised Atlas to give you a lifetime. You can’t cut it short like this,” Seth’s voice breaks, gently propping my head on his lap; rocking me back and forth. I crack a smile, I never knew Atlas made him promise that. Seth calls for help and I silence him by brushing my cold hand on his cheek.
It takes me a lot of my remaining energy to speak, “Shh, it’s okay Seth. I’m okay,” he smiles, eyes full of tears “Good. Stay with me. Breathe, darling.” Trying to catch my breath, I think about all the good memories; the dancing in the dark and laughing under the stars. Pure happiness.
With my final breath, I whisper to Seth, “Love makes us do crazy things. I want to spend forever with him. My Atlas. Bury my body in the Land of the Stars,” and I accept my end as it was the start of our forever.
--- END ---
(This story is unedited)
Comment from Judges
It’s unbelievable how someone can capture grief and love so painfully accurate through words. Such poetic writing and creative storyline I just know this should advance to AYAA!
MYAA 2022 (Junior) - Consolation
Trhishalah A/P Ganesan - REAL International School, Shah Alam
Title: Is That All?
40 years ago in early ancient India, stood a rural village firmly but poorly in the heart of Madurai. Where a boy named Pavan spent his miserable life. He grew up the poorest of the poorest. He did not have a pleasant childhood. Heartbroken, he ran away from home to wherever his instinct told him to go in the roaring storm outside. He was on his way to the train station, knowing that at least someone may talk to him. Since no one, he ran into the train that had stopped in the station at that moment ……and this is where he met the person who was going to change his future forever.
Since Mr Ram was alone onboard he called upon Pavan "Hey son, why are you alone? “He asked. Besides, Mr Ram was a solo man. When he took a glimpse into Pavan's eyes he knew there was a SPARK in him. Soon Mr. Ram reached out to Pavan’s teary eyes and wiped it with a warm and dry tissue “My w…. w…whole family….l..l..y hates me just because I am not what they expected!” he stammered in fury and desolation. “Oh dear, that is not what I had expected” Said Mr Ram sympathetically. A bell instantly rang in Mr. Ram's mind to bring Pavan home to be in a suitable accommodation for his wellbeing as the weather was simply HOSTILE. Pavan couldn’t acknowledge Mr Ram just with words, so he hopped onto him and embraced him tight. “I have never been this happy in my life, but because of you, i have a proper place to stay…. thank you very much sir.” Exclaimed Pavan. “You have never been this proud before.” said a voice in Mr. Ram’s mind.
Mr Ram couldn’t stop thinking adopting Pavan. “He could not sleep as he was in absolute willingness …. The first thing in the morning, he left to an adoption agency. Mr. Ram held Pavan’s hand and took a step into the agency and already sensed that things were going to work out really fine. Firstly, he went to the front desk and enquired about the process to adopt a child from outside the agency.
The receptionist with an unusually long chin and jet blue hair explained about the procedures to adopt a child. “Oh! alright then, in that case lets follow the dealings in direction to get Pavan to be a member in my family.” said Mr. Ram excitedly. Pavan was rather confused in what was up-to-the-minute as he was too young to even identify anything about adoption. Though it took more than two hours to go through the process at the agency. Well, the last procedure was to get the court order as a guardian for Pavan. Right after signing the agreement form, he shimmered himself with a smile and carried Pavan with happiness. Then, he took a taxi back home.
Soon after, Mr. Ram set Pavan to the finest school in the village nevertheless cash was super tight for him…. He made sure Pavan never knew that he was suffering financially and physically with some illness. Since Pavan had no experience in proper education or seen a school building before, he was flabbergasted when his new father said that he would be going to school the next day. He never had a thought in mind that he would ever be going to school or even better ‘THE BEST SCHOOL IN TOWN’. walked into his classroom and was amazed with the atmosphere there as it was cooling and he had so much fun on his first day of school. When he reached back home, he could only talk about how fun and enthusiastic school was for him. Pavan’s perception about his new father was that he couldn’t get any other father better than him despite his age.
One fine day, the telephone rang when he was reading a newspaper. He took the phone and heard a voice of a woman that sounded like Ms Prita, Pavan’s school teacher. Though Mr Ram was super nervous about what the teacher was going to say. “HELLO ‘MR RAM, YOUR SON SEEMS TO BE A GIFT TO OUR SCHOOL’, we have never seen a child this intelligent before in our entire life profession in educating students.” Mr. Ram was awestruck in hearing those words ‘GIFT TO OUR SCHOOL’. He was one of the gladdest individuals in the world throughout the day. He knew that all of the sacrifices made for Pavan was worth a lot, though he still hid his illness away. He did not even get married for Pavan’s sake. Years passed and Pavan had a query to his dad regarding his university enrollment as he wants to go to the topmost forensic science university in India.” Mr. Ram couldn’t say no to his beloved son, so he just went with an alright and found the best university after some enquiries.
Finally, the day came for Pavan to go to his dream university and on the other hand, there comes Mr. Ram’s new sacrifice. Dealing with the enrollment fees would be an atrocious problem but it was kept a secret from Pavan. He went to the front admin desk and asked about the college fees “The Indian lady said that would 400000 rupees.” She responded. “He almost had a heart attack hearing the digits she said, but still accepted to pay the fees with his last nickels, as he planned to sell his current staying house which is the ONLY property left by his parents and his remaining pension money. He did all this without letting Pavan know a single note about this, but Pavan got to know about this property selling for his education after he opened an envelope accidentally.
Soon after, Pavan finished his studies and found a beautiful girl to be his wife, her name was Prema. He was living with Prema outside of the town. Mr Ram was so happy for him but missed him a lot as his illness became worse and his body was too weak to hold himself.
One day, when Pavan came back from work, he saw Prema standing outside the gate of the house, with her eyes all teared up and her hands shivering nervously. Pavan was super confused, he asked her what’s wrong. Prema held Pavan’s arm and said “Honey, there was a call from your hometown neighbour ….and…. and.” she stopped as she was sobbing…. Pavan was so scared to see his lovable wife in that state. He hugged Prema tight and asked her why she was crying so hard. “The wall of your life booster has collapsed!” Said Prema with ferocity.
Pavan was still puzzled with Prema’s words. Pavan continued to figure out what Prema was crying over by shaking her shoulders vigorously.
“YOUR FATHER HAS LEFT US ALL!” burst out Prema in desolation. “IS THAT ALL?” Pavan asked relievedly and calmly.
A thunder struck in her heart. She stared at him widening her eyes thinking if the person in front of her is the person who she loved with all her heart.
--- END ---
(This story is unedited)
Comment from Judges
I’m mad that there wasn’t more! Can’t wait for an extension. The play of words and emotion conveyed touched me and that ending was spectacular. Truly carried the theme throughout the story. Could be improved with better use of punctuation.
MYAA 2022 (Junior) - Consolation
Nur Anyssa-Sze Binti Muhamad Ayman - SK Seksyen 9, Shah Alam
Title: The Cat And The Dragon
CHAPTER ONE
Dark. Silent.
I crouched on a low roof, waiting. My tail swished back and forth as my eyes scanned the alleyway. No one. Silence dragged as minutes passed.
Suddenly, three weasels appeared. The largest, which I assumed was the leader, had a fat silver fish in his mouth. I smiled, and leapt.
I landed skillfully on my paws in front of the weasels, startling them. As the leader dropped the fish, I snatched it and sped away with dinner in my mouth.
“Come back here, you thieving puss!” the leader yelled as they gave chase. I leapt over boxes and ran along walls.
Soon, I hit a dead end. I looked up and was assured to see a glimmering shape on the rooftop.
“Nowhere to run, kitty” mocked the leader.
“Scared now, little thief?” sneered another weasel.
I wasn’t. I wasn’t scared at all.
Three… two… one.
“ROAAAAAAAARRRR!”
A majestic beast landed between the weasels and I. It had iridescent scales and was the size of a tiger. It bared its mouth, revealing rows of gleaming sharp fangs. The weasels cowered in terror. The beast growled, and they ran in fright.
The beast then faced me with a look of annoyance marring its beautiful face.
“Kai!” I purred pleasantly.
Kai cut me off, “How many times am I supposed to tell you, Mia? Stop getting in trouble!”
“Pffft, relax. I won’t get hurt with a dragon like you by my side,” I winked.
“I can’t keep watching your back Mia,” Kai argued. “Sigh, leave the fish for the weasels. We have enough to eat at home.”
I laid the fish on the ground and followed Kai home.
CHAPTER TWO
Kai was a shape-shifting dragon. I met her when I was a stray kitten. She rescued me when I got caught stealing from the butcher, and she brought me to her home. She’s the closest I have to family.
Two days after the fish incident, I strolled around the village in boredom. The market was bustling but nothing piqued my interest.
I reached an alleyway. A mysterious figure cloaked in black was talking with a merchant about a large silver cage. “Wow, that sure looks fancy,” I thought intrigued.
My eyes lit up when I saw the merchant pull out a bunch of silver keys from his pocket.
Thoughts of mischief urged me. Without much thought, I leapt and snatched the keys from the man’s hand.
Both men yelled angrily as I ran. I weaved past shops, stalls, and people into a quiet lane.
“I must have lost them by now,” I thought gleefully.
Suddenly, I found myself being lifted into the air. “Wait… what?!” I looked around and saw the cloaked figure in the alley. His hand was outstretched towards me, holding a black wand. He was a dark wizard! I paled as I filled with dread.
I dropped the keys and mewed frantically, begging for mercy. Squeezing my eyes shut, I instantly regretted stealing from the start. I hoped that Kai would forgive me.
A low growl penetrated the air. My eyes opened with hope, and I saw her.
“Kai!”
The wizard stared at the dragon with surprise. Kai narrowed her eyes and took her fighting stance. The wizard started weaving spells as Kai lunged.
Both Kai and the wizard fought fiercely. Kai dodged the wizard’s spells while the wizard reflected Kai’s numerous attacks.
As Kai fought on, her shape-shifting ability drew her energy in great amounts. Soon she laid on the floor, with bruises the size of apples. She looked at me wearily as I rushed over to her.
“Why are you still here?” Kai asked weakly. “Go save yourself Mia!”
“I can’t leave you,” I pleaded.
An invisible force threw me against a wall. I stared helplessly as the wizard dragged Kai’s frail body away.
“No!” This was all my fault.
I mustered up the last of my energy and got up.
Kai needed saving this time. I don’t know how, but I will save her.
CHAPTER THREE
I found myself in the middle of a dark forest. I followed Kai’s scent to a small building on a hill. Squeezing through a gap I found by the backdoor, I emerged in a small warehouse. In the middle was the large silver cage from the alleyway, inside sat Kai.
I rushed over.
“Kai! Are you alright? I’m so sorry!” I cried.
Kai urgently hushed me, “Shh! Quiet down, or the wizard Durzan will come for us,” Kai said. “This cage is enchanted, I feel weak,” explained Kai sadly.
“I’m going to save you Kai,” I said.
“Please be careful Mia. I’ve lost my family to black wizards, I can’t lose you.” Kai answered.
I picked the locks with my claw, and soon Kai was free.
We hurried towards the exit, relieved that this will soon be over. As we reached the door, Durzan stood before us, with his wand drawn out. His face was contorted with rage.
“Run, Mia!” Kai shouted as she pushed me to the side.
“No!” I yelled, standing my ground.
“You’ll get hurt if you stay!” Kai shape-shifted into a bear, preparing to strike Durzan.
“I’m staying with you, Kai,” I said stubbornly.
We both fought the best we could, but we were still hurt and exhausted from earlier.
Soon, we found ourselves backed into a corner.
I looked around desperately as Kai continued fighting. Sneaking away, I started climbing a nearby shelf.
“What are you doing?” Kai hissed at me.
“Keep fighting! I have a plan!” I mewed back.
Kai continued fighting as I ascended the shelf. I crouched, and waited for the right moment.
Aha! I smiled and leapt.
I landed right on Durzan’s head! I scratched his eyes, causing him to fumble. Kai continued attacking as the wizard shook me off angrily. With Durzan distracted, I swiftly snatched the wand out of his hand.
“Run, Kai!” I yelled. We bolted out the back door and Kai slammed the door shut.
“Stand back,” Kai instructed.
She shape-shifted into a large dragon and knocked down the house. Durzan’s final scream could be heard as the house crumbled.
CHAPTER FOUR
Kai and I sat on the hilltop. She wrapped her tail around me, and my heart filled with warmth.
“You did great back there,” Kai praised.
“Thanks,” I blushed. “I had to help you. It was my fault after all.”
“Yes, it was,” Kai said. “But you tried to fix it, and for that, I am proud of you.”
“I promise I won’t get into any more trouble, Kai,” I said. “My skills aren’t that useful anyway.”
“No, Mia, they are very useful. Your skills helped unlock the cage, sneak your way up the shelf, and steal Durzan’s wand! As long as you use your talents well, they will help you greatly.”
I stared at the sun slowly arising, marking the start of a new day.
“I’m just glad we came out alive,” I said.
“As am I,” Kai responded. The colours of the dawn sky reflected beautifully off her scales.
I snuggled up to Kai, feeling at peace as we both enjoyed the sunrise.
--- END ---
(This story is unedited)
Comment from Judges
I was fully immersed in the story and, despite the lack of setting, I loved the climax and mainly, the characters!
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